Displaying 1 - 30 of 181 in total
Mary Said "Rabboni"
We discuss Jesus' appearance to Mary Magdalene, in which she recognized Him only when He called her by name. What does that mean and why did she call Him "Rabboni?" Wh...
Why Paul Argues About Circumcision
Today's discussion centered around why Paul made such a big deal about the issue of circumcision among Gentile Christians. Ultimately, Paul's concern was with interpre...
Spiritual Warfare & The Armor of God
We discuss the nature of spiritual warfare and Paul's metaphor of putting on the whole armor of God, with an emphasis on how the spiritual warfare is fought not so muc...
John 3:16 and Nicodemus
To provide context for the famous verse John 3:16, we discussed the complex person of Nicodemus, one who accepted Jesus, yet was still initially ashamed to publicly pr...
Jesus as the Firstfruits of the Resurrection
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul focuses on the resurrection of Christ. We discuss why Paul focuses on the resurrection and why it is so important to Paul to recognize Jesus ...
The Dormition Gospel Reading
For the feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God, the Orthodox Church appoints a reading from Luke that references a different Mary. Why does the Church choose that...
Wheat and Tares
The parable of the wheat and tares (or as it is translated in our reading, the weeds) is a key parable that corresponds to the parable of the seed. We discuss its impo...
Become Like Children
We begin today by discussing the half-shekel tax the Pharisees wanted Jesus to pay, and the significance of Jesus interaction with His disciples around this episode. W...
Let Your Light Shine or Hide Your Deeds?
Today we examine Matthew 5 and compare it to Matthew 6, discussing the apparent contradiction. Specifically, in Matthew 5, Jesus tells His disciples to let their light...
Jesus As Both Shepherd & Door
In John's Gospel, Jesus talks about Himself as both Shepherd and Door. We discuss what each of these allusions means, while also contrasting Jesus with the false sheph...
Following God's Commandments vs Philosophical Pursuits
We discuss how the Bible, generally, and today's passage from Proverbs, specifically, challenges the worldview of its time--seeking "sophia" (wisdom) through philosoph...
The Cross and the Midpoint of Lent
We discuss the scriptural reason why the cross is our focus on the 3rd Sunday and 4th week of Lent. We conclude by focusing on the true meaning of "taking up your cros...
Cain, Abel, and Anti-Possessiveness
We discuss the story of Cain and Abel and how it teaches one of the most important lessons of Lent: becoming antipossesive.
Genesis 1, Lent, and Pascha
We discuss the first reading of Lent, Genesis 1:1-13, and how this text relates to what we as Orthodox Christians do during Lent, and how it also connects with our cel...
Joel Prepares Us For Lent
With Lent approaching, we now have readings from the Old Testament appointed. Today, we discuss the book of Joel and how it prepares us for the ultimate purpose of the...
Peter & Marriage
We began our discussion on Peter's epistles and their unique audience of the Jewish Diaspora, highlighting how Peter shares the same message as Paul, but with slightly...
Faith or Works? A Biblical Understanding of Grace
In discussing James, we are confronted with a teaching that some believe contradicts Paul's teaching on salvation. In highlighting a comprehensive biblical understand ...
St James on Judging Others
We discuss our innate tendency to judge others, but how the Bible, generally, and St James in his epistle, specifically, call us to overcome this sin. We talk about pr...
Spiritual Endurance & The Epistle to the Hebrews
Fr Aaron provides an overview of the Epistle to the Hebrews, paying special attention to the difficulties faced by early Jewish Christians in maintaining their radical...
God or Family: Who Comes First?
We discuss the implications of Jesus telling us that he who loves parents or spouses or children more than Him are not worthy of Him. What does that mean and how shoul...
Simon, Son of Jonah, Do You Love Me?
We discuss why Jesus seemingly pesters Simon Peter about whether he loves Him. We also emphasize the reason Simon is referred to in this passage as the "son of Jonah."...
The Collection For Jerusalem
In discussing 2 Corinthians 8, we referred back to Paul's collection from the Corinthian church for the church in Jerusalem. Fr Aaron highlighted the historical circum...
Transfiguration, The Cross, & The Tabernacle
In highlighting the biblical account of the Transfiguration, Fr Aaron showed how that event relates both in Scripture and in the Orthodox Church tradition to Christ's ...
The Traditions of Men
We discussed the dangers of placing the traditions of men above the Scriptures. Tradition is important, but we must ensure that nothing we do contradicts Scripture, no...
The Parable of the Seed
In discussing the parable of the sower, we recognized it should rather be referred to as the parable of the seed. For the emphasis of the parable is on the seed—spread...
My Power Is Made Perfect In Weakness
We discuss the similarities between II Corinthians, Galatians, and the Acts of the Apostles as it relates to Paul and his teaching. Paul’s experience, as described in ...
The Epistle of Jude
Today we examined the book of Jude. Fr Aaron discussed the similarities between Jude and the epistles of Peter and James. He showed how these epistles served as a corr...
Measuring Judgment
In discussing Jesus' teaching that we will be judged using the same measure with which we judge others, we touched on the importance of understanding Jesus' teachings ...
Why Jesus Points to the Children
We began the episode by explaining how children were viewed as an underclass in the 1st century Roman Empire. Jesus, therefore, makes the point that children are humbl...
Jesus Challenges Those Who Believed In Him
We discussed how Jesus challenged the “insiders,” those “who believed in Him,” which is consistent with the entire Bible. This approach is different than what we so of...